Process of treating coal.



PaIenIedApr.4,1916q C. H. SMITH.

PROCESS 0F TREATING COA-L.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I a, 1915.

CHARLES HOWARD SMITH, 0F SHORT HILLS, NEW JERSEY.'

PROCESS OF TREATING COIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application led September 18, 1915. Serial No. 51,351.

To all whom it may concern: Y

Be it known that I, CHARLES HOWARD SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Short Hills, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Process of Treating Coal, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful process of treating coal and preparing the same for coking purposes.

It relates particularly to treating coal having a high volatile or moisture content, or both, so that it will yield al coke adapted for metallurgical use.

Heretofore coking practice has demonstrated that in bee-hive ovens coals exceeding 32% in volatile matters (dry basis) will seldom yield a coke having a physical structure adapted for metallurgical use, while in by-product ovens the best results are obtained by utilizing coals or mixtures of coals whose volatile content varies from 28% to 28%. Coals having a 4% or more of moisture content also'produce inferior results. These restrictions in the required character of coals for coking purposes have materially reduced the coals available for coking and hence has limited the industry accordingly.

By my process I am able to take a coal having a high volatile or moisture content or both, and by partial distillation I reduce the percentage of volatile matters or moisture in the coal to the amount required for obtaining satisfactory results in either the bee-hive or by-product oven and thus obtain a coal which on coking will yield a coke having a structure adapted for metallurgical use'. In carrying out my process I am also enabled to recover certain by-products contained in the coal.

The process may be best described with reference to an apparatus for carrying `out said process, this apparatus and the various steps of the process being illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, in Which-- B represents a'y Crusher of the usual typel adapted to crush or pulverize coal. The hopper C is provided with suitable means such as a screw feeder for conveying the coal A from the Crusher to the oven F located in the furnace D. The furnace D is provided with means such as flues E in which are located suitable gas and hot air burners for heating the oven F.

The oven F is provided With a mixer G located therein, the oven and mixer being so constructed and arranged that the crushed coal A in the oven will be uniformly heated throughout. The oven F is connected with the cooler I by the feeder H, the cooler I being so arranged and constructed that the heated coal which it receives from the oven may be suitably cooled, using for this purpose either air or Water or both. From the cooler I the cooled residual mass passes to a Crusher K Where it is againpulverized before it passes to the- A coking oven L.

and controlled so that the volatile content of the coal is reduced to less than 32%, figured on a dry basis, When the treated coal isto b e coked in a bee-hive oven, or the volatile content is reduced to from 23% to 28% when the treated co-al is to be coked in a by-product oven, and in cases of coals having a high moisture content, the same ris to be reduced to less than 2IL%.

In order to reduce the volatile and moisture content, I provide an eXhauster M connected to the oven F. The gases and vapors which are given offA during the heating of the coal in the oven F are drawn off by the eXhauster and are then separated by the usual condensing and distillation processes Well known to those skilled in this art into resulting by-products including tar and oil ,products N, ammonia O, benzene and homologues P, heating gas R, and commercial or illuminating gas S. The heating gas R may be utilized in my process for heating thel oven F.

In carrying out myprocess the coal A is first crushed or pulverized in the crusher B.

From this crusher the pulverized coal is fed through the hopper C to the oven F in the furnace D. By means of the miXer G in the .oven F, the coal is uniformly heated throughout. The period of heating and the amount of heat applied to the coal While in the oven F depends upon the character ofthe coal-that is, depends upon its volatile or moisture content or both. If the coal has a high volatile content, the period of heating, and the amount of heat applied, must be suliicient to reduce -the volatile or moisture contenty or both to the desired percentage, depending upon Whether the treated coal is to be coked in a bee-hive oven or in a byproduct oven. j I

During the period of heating in the oven F', the moisture and gaseous products arel drawn off by means of the eXhauster M. These gases -being-rich in hydro-carbons can then be -separated "by the usual condensing and distillation processes into gas for illuminating and heating purposes and into tar and oil products, ammonia and other byproducts.

After the coal has been properly heated, the residual mass is conveyed by the feeder H to the cooler I Where the residual mass is cooled. From the cooler I the cooled mass passes to the crusher K Where it is pulverized, after which it is conveyed to the cok-v ing oven L.

yCoals, When treated by my improved Vprocess, will produce a hard metallurgical coke, and at the same time yield a satisfactory percentage of the by-products contained in the coal. By my process, therefore, the vnumber of coalsavailable for coking purposes are materially broadened.

What I claim is:

' l. The process of treating coal having too high a volatile content for the production of metallurgical coke, consisting in first reducing the volatile content of the coal to the amount required for the production of said coke, then cooling and pulverizing the residf ual mass, and then colring the same.

2. The process of treating coal having too high a volatile content for the production of metallurgical coke, consisting in rst reducing by means of heat the volatile content of vthe coal to the amount required for the production of said coke, removing the gases and vapors given off by said coal during said heating, then cooling and pulverizing the residual mass, and then coking the same.

3. The process of treating coal having too high a volatile content for-the production' of metallurgical coke, consisting in first crushing said coal, then heating said coal to ref i duce its volatile content to the amount necessary for the production of metallurgical coke, removing the gases and vapors given off by the coal during said heating, then cooling and pulverizing the residual mass, and then coking the same.

4. The process of treating coal having too high a volatile content for the production of metallurgical coke, consisting in first reducing by partial. distillation the volatile content of the coal to the amount required for producing said coke, then cooling and pulverizing the residual mass, and then coking the same.

. 5. The process of treating coal having too high a moisture content for the production of metallurgical coke, consisting in first crushing the coal, then heating said coal to reduce its moisture content to the amount necessary for the production of metallurgi' cal coke, removing the gases and vapors given ofi' by the coal during said heating,

then cooling and pulverizing the residual mass, and then coking the same. p

6. The process of treating coal having too higha volatile and moisture content for the production of metallurgical coke,l consisting in first reducing by partial distillation the volatile and moisture content of the coal to the amount required for' producing said coke, then cooling and pulverizing the residual mass, and then coking the same.

7. The process of treating coal having'too high a volatile content forfthe production of metallurgical coke, consisting in first reducing by partial distillation the volatile content of the coal to the amount required for the production of said coke, then cooling and pulverizingsaid residualmass, and then coking the same. A

Thisl specification signed and witnessed this 16th day of September, 1915. Y

CHARLES HOWARD SMITH.

Signed in the presence of- W. C. MARGEsoN, G. McGrRANN.A 

